Your period on the road in Morocco: what to know

You don't plan your trip around your cycle. It does help to know what you can buy in Morocco, what the toilets on the road are like and on which days you want to arrange things differently.

Before you leave

Travel, heat and a different daily rhythm can shift your cycle by a few days. So pack your supplies even if your calendar says you won't get your period during the trip.

If you want to delay your period, for example for the days in the desert, talk to your doctor or pharmacist well before you leave. Don't leave it until you are in Morocco.

What you can buy in Morocco

Pads are everywhere: in supermarkets, at pharmacies and in the small corner shops. Tampons are harder. You find them in the larger supermarkets, such as Carrefour and Marjane, and at some pharmacies in the cities. The choice is small. In villages and on the way to the desert, don't count on them.

If you use tampons or a cup, bring your own supply for the whole trip. You can clean a cup with bottled water. Period underwear is nice on long days in the car, but it dries slowly in a damp bathroom.

Most riads do your laundry for a fee. Underwear is easier to wash yourself in the sink. Bring a small bar of soap or some detergent for that.

You can buy painkillers without a prescription at any pharmacy. Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is sold as Doliprane. To be safe, bring what you use at home. The packing list covers what else goes in your suitcase.

Toilets on the road

In riads, restaurants and hotels the toilets are what you are used to. In the medina you go to a café or restaurant: order something small and you can use the toilet. On the road you stop at gas stations and roadside restaurants. There you often find a squat toilet, sometimes without toilet paper and with a bucket of water instead of a flush. At many toilets there is an attendant who keeps things clean and expects one or two dirham.

Put a small kit in your daypack with tissues, hand sanitizer, a few sealable bags and small change. Never flush pads or tampons, because the plumbing can't handle it. If there is no bin, take it with you in a bag.

Long days in the car

On a drive to the Sahara or to Fes you sit for hours at a stretch. With a private driver you stop when you want. Say in the morning that you want more breaks today, and the driver picks places with a decent toilet. With a female driver like Soukayna you don't have to find a roundabout way to say it.

On those days, wear dark, loose pants and keep a cardigan or scarf within reach. It sounds like a small thing, but it takes a lot off your mind on the road.

In the desert camp

Standard camps in the dunes have shared toilets and often a simple shower. More luxurious camps have a private bathroom next to your tent. If your trip falls around your period, or you are not sure, choose a camp with a private bathroom. The price difference is considerable, but you don't have to cross the sand with a flashlight at night.

The camel ride to the camp takes about an hour. If you are dreading that, you can also go to the camp by 4x4. Bring everything you need, because there is no shop in the dunes, and take your waste back with you. The rest of the desert trip to Merzouga is described in the piece on the desert as a woman.

The hammam

In a public hammam you sit with other women in a warm, wet room and share buckets and water. Moroccan women don't go when they have their period. Skip the hammam on those days, or move it to the end of your trip.

A private hammam in a riad or spa is fine, with a tampon or cup. Say so when you book. Then the attendant knows and you don't have to explain it on the spot. The piece on the hammam in Morocco describes what happens in a hammam.

During Ramadan

Muslim women who have their period do not fast. They eat and drink during the day, but not in public. As a traveler you don't have to fast anyway. Do as they do and eat and drink out of sight during the day. The guide on Ramadan has more on traveling in that month.

Talking about it

Menstruation is not a topic for mixed company in Morocco. To a woman you can simply say what is going on: a pharmacist, a staff member at your riad, or your driver if she is a woman. In French you ask for "serviettes hygiéniques" for pads. Tampons are "tampons" in French too.

What to bring

• Your own tampons or cup, enough for the whole trip
• A few pads for the first day, since you can buy the rest there
• Tissues, hand sanitizer and sealable bags
• Painkillers you know
• Dark, loose pants for long travel days